Following extensive stakeholder and community consultation, the Australian Government has now finalised the Kingston Pier channel construction design.
The design option selected was the option preferred by the community, with the new design allowing more than one vessel to use the channel at a time to access the Pier (subject to swell and weather conditions).
Through the consultation, some stakeholders expressed concern that some of the works could affect the structural integrity of the pier. Following this, the project team has been investigating the channel bed and pier structure. Some of these technical site investigations into the sheet pile wall systems have now been delayed due to the evolving COVID-19 situation across mainland Australia.
Information gathered from the technical investigations, when they can occur, will inform the design for the remediation of the sheet pile systems, with a final proposal to be publicly provided for review and feedback.
The Australian Government is committed to addressing any structural integrity issues with the pier as the priority. This is why the channel works need to be placed on hold to ensure we have all the necessary information for this vital freight and cruise ship link to be effectively designed and sustainable to serve the Norfolk Island community well into the future.
Thank you to stakeholders and the community for their input on the final design for the channel augmentation, which will guide the next steps for this significant project.
The completed documentation outlining the final channel augmentation design for the future will be available online in the next fortnight, with printed versions to be on display at the Department’s on-Island office.
If you have any enquiries about the project in the meantime, please email territories_projects@infrastructrure.gov.au.
Eric Hutchinson
Administrator of Norfolk Island
2 September 2021